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A review by book_concierge
The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg
4.0
Audiobook performed by Kimberly Farr
This is the fourth book about the residents of Elmwood Springs (though it is not listed as part of the series). In this volume, Flagg tells the history of Elmwood Springs, beginning with the 1889 founding of the settlement by Swedish immigrant Lorder Nordstrom, who recognized the perfect environment for a dairy, and encouraged fellow Swedes (plus a Norwegian and a German) to join him in Missouri. Several favorite characters from previous books make an appearance here, most notably Elner Shimfissle.
This isn’t great literature, but Flagg spins a darn good yarn. It’s entertaining and full of lively characters – both good and bad. There are marriages, births and deaths. People form alliances and work together to build the town. I like the way world events impact the residents of the small town, and how life changes for them through the decades. It’s a somewhat idyllic view of small-town life, though some residents struggle with alcohol addiction and drug use, and there’s at least one murder.
I liked the “residents” of Still Meadows being able to discuss what was happening in town, though they had to rely on new arrivals and the occasional visitor to their gravesites who might talk aloud, in order to learn what was going on. It reminded me somewhat of Thurber’s Our Town. On the other hand, I found the Epilogue anti-climactic; it almost seemed as if Flagg was at a loss for how to end the story.
Kimberly Farr does a great job performing the audio. She has good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to handle the large cast of characters. Farr really brings the various characters of Elmwood Springs alive, but I particularly loved how she voiced Lorder, Katrina and Elner.
This is the fourth book about the residents of Elmwood Springs (though it is not listed as part of the series). In this volume, Flagg tells the history of Elmwood Springs, beginning with the 1889 founding of the settlement by Swedish immigrant Lorder Nordstrom, who recognized the perfect environment for a dairy, and encouraged fellow Swedes (plus a Norwegian and a German) to join him in Missouri. Several favorite characters from previous books make an appearance here, most notably Elner Shimfissle.
This isn’t great literature, but Flagg spins a darn good yarn. It’s entertaining and full of lively characters – both good and bad. There are marriages, births and deaths. People form alliances and work together to build the town. I like the way world events impact the residents of the small town, and how life changes for them through the decades. It’s a somewhat idyllic view of small-town life, though some residents struggle with alcohol addiction and drug use, and there’s at least one murder.
I liked the “residents” of Still Meadows being able to discuss what was happening in town, though they had to rely on new arrivals and the occasional visitor to their gravesites who might talk aloud, in order to learn what was going on. It reminded me somewhat of Thurber’s Our Town. On the other hand, I found the Epilogue anti-climactic; it almost seemed as if Flagg was at a loss for how to end the story.
Kimberly Farr does a great job performing the audio. She has good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to handle the large cast of characters. Farr really brings the various characters of Elmwood Springs alive, but I particularly loved how she voiced Lorder, Katrina and Elner.